Promises
by Akimei the Twisted
Summary: Everyone knows the story of Aya and Dio. The sweet moments and the not so sweet moments. But what about before the curse? A small story of what I think may have happened full of love, loss, and determination. (I'm so sorry to the poor souls who read this) Rated T for slight cursing, blood, and violence. AyaxDio
1. How It Began

I swear, I didn't even mean to write this. I was reliving the pixel horror "Mad Father" and was filled with feels. Then, this just kinda happened. Annabelle was just kinda created in the spur of the moment. I hope she doesn't bug you guys too much. Without further interuption, I produce to you, The Dio and Aya fanfic, "Promises"  
-

"Dio, Dio!" A youthful female voice called. Its source was a seven year old girl with light blonde hair. Her dirty face was round with baby fat, but the rest of her figure was deathly thin. Her hair was covered in dirt and matted down with filth, and her pink dress was full of tears and also covered in stains and dirt. That didn't stop the eight year old Dio from thinking that she was the cutest younger sibling he could ever hope for.

"Yes, Annabelle?" He smiled as he finally reached the stream to clean the dirt off his face. Annabelle was close behind, hugging the boy when she reached him.

"Do you think we can go see that mansion today?"

Dio tensed. That mansion had always given him the creeps,"I don't know about that, Anna. It's better down here in the village. We shouldn't be snooping around a place like that. Only the great spirits could know what goes on in there."

"Come on, Dio, please." Annabelle pouted, "It's been my dream since forever!"

"It's been your dream for a month." Dio sighed. His sister was stubborn as an ox when it came to her dreams. They had hardly survived her last dream: jumping from the highest building they could find onto a hay cart.

"Please, Dio. It'll just a be peek. I wanna see it up close." Annabelle clapped her hands together and began to beg, "We can come straight back once I get a look at it."

Dio pursed his lips in thought. His sister would go with or without him if he kept denying her the trip. He griminced and gave in.

"Ok."

"Yay!" Annabelle hugged her brother tightly.

"But we're only going to look at it. After that it's straight back to the village." Dio gave her a determined look.

"Okay, lets go!" Annabelle was stopped by her bother.

"It's a day's walk for a round trip. We'll go tomorrow."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

-0-

The siblings took shelter at a barn for the night. Once the sun rose and the roosters crowed, Annabelle practically bounced on her brother.

"Come on, Dio! The mansion awaits!" She dragged him to outside, careful to avoid the people who owned the barn.

"Calm down, Anna. You need to eat first." Dio stopped her at the forest and dug through his pockets for his last food rations.

"Didn't you give me the rest two days ago?" The girl was confused at her brother's actions.

"I managed to get this from the barn. I washed it in the river last night." Dio held up a carrot.

"Dio! Stealing is wrong." Annabelle scolded her brother.

"If it keeps you alive, I'll chance it." He shoved the carrot in her face. Her expression softened as she pushed it back toward him.

"Dio, you've went longer without food than I have. You eat it."

He shook his head, "No, you are the top priority. You eat it."

"Fine, lets both eat it." Anna tried to compromise with him. She knew her brother wasn't going to give in easily and just eat the food.

Dio grumbled but nodded his head and snapped the carrot in half, purposefully making his sister's end bigger.

"Here." He handed it to her. Annabelle smiled and switched their portions.

"You need it more." She said stubbornly as she chomped her half down. Dio sighed to himself. Atleast he got her to eat something. His sister was the only thing he had left, and he wasn't going to lose her to starvation like he had lost his friends.

Once he finished his side of the carrot, Dio stood and patted away some of the dirt on his white shirt, now a hint of beige from all the filth. He would wash it once they returned.

"Hurry up, Dio! The less time we waste, the more time we have to look at the mansion!" Annabelle was already well ahead of her brother.

"Careful, Anna. It could be dangerous. You should stay closer to me." Dio grabbed his sister by her faded pink hairbow. Annabelle gave an annoyed grunt in response to her brother.

"I'm a big girl, Dio. I know how to be careful in the woods." She ripped out of his grasp. Dio nodded and let her take the lead, but continued watching her with sharp eyes. They both knew that the villagers mainly farmed, but the butcher should have decided to start hunting by now. Traps could be anywhere in the tall grass.

The trip there was fairly quiet aside from failed attempts at small talk caused by Annabelle. As the sun reached the middle of the sky, the pair made their way to the path that led to the large iron gates.  
Annabelle was mesmerized by the sheer beauty of the stone masterpiece. She ran to the gates and tried to peer further into the gorgeous scenery.

"Dio, let's go in."

Dio's eyes widened as he ran to grab his sister, but she narrowly avoided it and slipped through the gate.

"Anna, you said we would just come to look and go straight back." He hissed as he beckoned her to pull back through the gate.

"I never said how close we could look." The girl giggled and carefully moved around the beautiful flowers, "This place is amazing!"

Dio easily slipped through the wide gaps in the gate and chased after his sister, "Anna, you'll get yourself killed. We need to leave."

"No, I won't. You're such a fraidy-cat, Dio." She laughed as she ran, her worn shoes long forgotten by the rose bush.

"Anna, get back here. I'm not letting you die because you wanted to be reckless. We're orphans, Anna. No one cares about us back home or here. These kind of actions are what get kids like us killed." Dio finally caught up to his sister and grabbed her long, blonde hair, "We're leaving now."

Annabelle pouted but followed her brother back to the gates, only stopping to put on her sandles which were now paper thin. They didn't speak as she climbed through the gates and he did the same. The atmosphere was all but enjoyable as they walked away. Silence filled the thick air. That was it for a few blissful seconds. But without anything to warn it was coming, a high pitched scream filled Dio's ears.

His sister had fallen victim to a well hidden bear trap.


	2. Their First Meeting and Promise

Her screams of pain echoed in his ears as he watched her tears flow. His shock faded into a sense of desperation as he looked at her injured leg. The teeth of the trap had sunk deep into her flesh, and blood was spilling out of it like a waterfall.

"Damn." He muttered as he dropped his suspenders and ripped off his shirt. He tried to clean some of the blood off of her, but knew he couldn't stop the bleeding without removing the trap. He tried desperately to pull it off of her, but it didn't move an inch.

Annabelle's screams decreased into hoarse sobs, "Dio, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, I'm going to get you out of here alive." He looked around for anything that could help him pry the metal object off her, but to no avail. He looked at the trap for a switch or some other device to open it manually, but only one thing was noticed.

An electrical pad lock.

Dio began pounding in numbers, but the code didn't work. Annabelle screamed once again in her agonizing pain.

"Dio! It sank in deeper. Please don't try again!" She cried, "You're watsing your time with this! I'm going to die anyway."

"No, I'm getting you help." Dio stood and ran toward the mansion, "I won't let you die here!"

He splipped through the iron bars and ran towards the door. He was about to bang on it when he heard another female voice which was definatly not his sister's.

"Snowball, you're hurt. Come out please, I need to wrap the bandages around your foot!" The voice called. It was softer and younger than any he had heard before, but it didn't matter. She had bandages, and being on the property must mean she knew the passcode.

He ran toward the voice as fast as he could and found a girl. A beautiful girl with a cute dress and face. Her dark hair flowed nicely down to her-

No. He shook the thoughts out of his head. His sister was about to die. Her savior's appearance didn't matter.

"Please! I need your help. My sister, she's stuck in a bear trap!" He screamed. The girl looked shocked but nodded. She felt her father wouldn't mind her helping an innocent person out of his bear traps.

"Take me to her." She said bravely. She was admittedly a little scared. The older boy was shirtless and covered in blood that obviously wasn't his, but he was also cute. This was her first time actually meeting one in person that wasn't her father.

Dio nodded and ran off in his sister's direction. Even at his fastest, it would take a minute or two to reach her. The girl struggled to keep up with him.

"You're crying." She muttered as she pulled out a handkerchief from her apron pocket, not even bothering to stop running, "here."

Dio looked at the girl quizzically before accepting her offer. He hadn't even known he was crying, "Thank you." He wiped his face off and held it back to her.

"Keep it, I have others." The girl smiled and managed to keep up with him. The conversation died down as Annabelle's screams came into hearing distance despite its weakness. Dio ran to his sister, huffing out heavy breaths of air.

"Over here!" He shouted at the dark haired girl. She nodded and ran over to the girl who was not so much older than herself.

She got straight to work. She sat down her medical supplies and found the padlock. Careful as to not press the wrong digits, she typed in the passcode, her birthday. Annabelle cringed as the enter button was pressed, half expecting it to pierce through her even deeper.

However, the trap popped open. Annabelle screamed in pain as it came out. Atleast it was fast. The worst part was over.

Her savior quickly opened the box she was carrying which was full of all the things she needed.

"I'm going to clean the wound. It's going to hurt, okay?" She told Annablle as she began cleaning the deep wounds. Annabelle sobbed as her brother sat her head in his lap, softly petting her hair. In a few minutes, the girl set down the cleaning supplies and pulled out medical thread and a needle.

Dio blocked his sister's vision and yelled at the dark haired girl, "What are you doing?!"

"She needs stitches, the wound is too deep. I'm sorry, but it's going to hurt. Father doesn't let me keep anesthesia anymore, but biting on this will help" The girl looked at him with honest eyes and handed him a cylinder like object, "Trust me, my father is a doctor."

Dio nodded; he felt he could trust this girl. Annabelle, who could still hear everything perfectly, accepted the cylinder and braced herself for more pain. She gave a determined look at Dio, telling him she was ready for the girl to start.

"She's ready."

The girl nodded and inserted the needle into Annabelle's flesh. As told, Annabelle bit down on the object as hard she could. It molded to her teeth so they wouldn't break, but didn't allow them to touch eachother either. Still, hot tears poored down her face and she shook slightly with the excruciating pain coursing throughout her body.

In about twenty-five minutes, the stitches were complete. The young girl nodded at Dio, signaling that she was done, and grabbed the badages and cleaners. As she did a final cleaning of the wound and wrapped the bandages around her finished work, Dio finally allowed himself to examine the girl, no, the angel who had saved his sister.

He admitted she was cute, beautiful even. Her determined blue eyes had only shown honesty and concern when he asked for help. Her long, dark hair was let down to her waist aside from a small portion held up by a huge pink bow.

She had a thin figure, not as thin as he and his sister, but thin none-the-less. She was obviously rich as she was wearing an expensive looking dress that seemed as if it were made for a beautiful doll. Well, it would be if the bottom of it was not soaked in his sister's blood. Still, she looked radiant with a healthy, innocent glow that Dio had only seen from his sister.

With a final wrap and tuck, the girl had finished her work. She raised her head to tell him only to notice his longing stares. Dio snapped out of it, and looked down at his now sleeping sister with a deeply red face. The girl too had a pink hue shining on her pale face; she felt a strange but comforting feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"I-I'm done fixing her leg. She needs a lot of water and sleep, and don't you dare let her walk on it. The stitches are tight and made well, but we don't need them being worn before the muscle binds together." She explained everything her father had taught her about healing until she was hugged by the blonde boy.

"Thankyou so much!" Dio engulfed the small girl in his arms, "I owe you my life."

The girl giggled and looked up at his eyes, she thought they were his best feature, "You owe me no such thing. My mother taught me to be nice to strangers. Saving lives is its own reward." The older boy breathed in her scent as he replied.

"You must be an angel with such a golden heart. I'll forever be indebted to you no matter what you say." And in a flash, the boy was standing. His face was flushed and embarrassed.

"I'm sorry! I was just caught in the moment. My sister is the only one I have left, and you're so beautiful, and I just-" He caught himself and forced his mouth shut. The girl laughed in a way Dio couldn't help but find cute.

"It's fine. This is my first time meeting other kids, so I was happy to help." She put away her supplies and also stood up, "And you're really cute too, especially your eyes."

Both of the children stood there with red faces in the akward silence. At their current age, they were supposed to think members of the opposite gender were "icky and cootie filled" However, the girl had never met a boy her age before and Dio was lucky to have any friends at all.

"Oh! Um, you're shirt." She knelt down to pick up his bloodied shirt, "Do you want me to clean it for you? I have to clean my dress anyway."

"No, I can clean it myself. I would hate to trouble you any further." Dio took his shirt and put it on despite the blood covering it. He had almost forgotten he was shirtless infront of a girl that wasn't his sister. How rude of him, and furthermore embarrassing.

The girl seemed disappointed in not being able to spend more time with the boy, but shrugged it off. Her father might be back any moment, and she didn't want to be missing when he was finally done working.

"Well, I suppose I should go back home now." She frowned. She loved her father very much, but she also wanted to spend time with her new friends.

"Yeah, I should take Anna back to the village. I'll need to find her a nice place to sleep." Dio said solemnly as he picked his sister up in his arms.

The girl was confused, "Why wouldn't she sleep in her bed?"

Dio grimaced at the thought. His angel still didn't know they were orphans.

"We live on the streets."

"Oh, your parents must be-"

"We," Dio took in a deep breath, "don't have parents."

He stood there with his eyes closed, expecting her to laugh at him, call him a stupid good-for-nothing whom she shouldn't have helped, but nothing came. He opened one of his honey-brown eyes to see that the girl was nearing tears.

"What's wrong?" He asked worriedly, setting his sister down so he could hold his angel.

"That must be terrible. I know how bad it felt when I lost mother, but if I lost father..." She started to sob.

"Shh.. It's okay. We make do with what we have. Don't cry over us." He wiped away a few of her tears, "You're far too pretty for tears." The girl smiled if only a little and held back her waterworks.

"Sorry, it's just I can't imagine a life with no parents. No one to say 'I love you'. No one to tuck you in. No one to keep you company when your father is too busy working to come and see you. I wish you could live with us."

Dio smiled at her, "Maybe one day we will. If not, I'll still come and visit if only once in a blue moon."

"Promise?" The girl smiled at him. A smile that him feel weak.

"Promise." He knew he couldn't keep the promise under most circumstances, but her hopeful face made him feel like he had to; as if it were his duty to make her happy, and he was perfectly okay with it.

He heard his sister mumble a bit in her sleep. Dio reluctantly let go of his angel and walked to his sister, picking her up gently.

"We need to leave now if we're going to make it back by dark. I suppose I'll see you around."

"Yes, father might be done with work soon, and Snowball is still out there. You might need these for her leg." The girl reached into her box and took out another roll of bandages, "I'm going to miss you."

"Thank you so much for saving her. You truly are an angel." Dio accepted the bandages and put them in his pocket.

"I'm no angel, sir. I just know to do what's right." She blushed and gave the boy an awkward hug around his sister, "I hope to see you soon."

Without thinking, Dio bent down to give the angel a kiss on the cheek. Once realizing what he had done, his red face returned.

"Uhh, Goodbye, angel." He quickly turned around and walked away as fast as he could without falling. He heard her sweet voice mutter a "Bye" behind him. He looked up at the setting sun.

"May the heavens bring you into my life again, sweet angel."


	3. An Unfair Death

Little did Dio know that his sister would catch the flu virus only two years later.

"No, you're not sick and you're not dying." Dio said in disbelief as he paced to and fro by the river where his sister was resting. Annabelle coughed up a small amount of blood.

"I am dying, Dio. I've accepted it. Why can't you?" She coughed. Dio's disbelieving eyes brimmed with tears.

"Because, Anna. You're the only one that I have left. I've nearly lost you once, and it won't happen again." He did his best not to let his weakness show. He couldn't believe this. His beloved sister had survived so much, and now she was going to die from something she couldn't even see.

Annabelle smiled sadly, "Dio, I won't last more than a few days. We both know that. After I die, there are two things I want you to make sure happen."

"Don't talk like that, Annabelle. You're going to live." Dio pleaded, "You have to."

Annabelle laid a firm hand on her brother's shoulder, "I won't, Dio. Listen, after I die, I want you to find that girl. The one who saved me."

"Why?" Dio's strength was weakening, and she swore he was crying slightly, but Annabelle could tell he was holding back. This was the first time the girl's image didn't bring a smile to his face.

"She makes you happy, Dio. You look at her handkerchief like it's heaven itself, and you always talk about her." Annabelle smiled as she hacked out more blood.

"Unless she has a cure for you, I have no intention of seeing her." Dio huffed. He had always wanted to go back and find her, but they had traveled to another village, one that gave more food than the last.

"Dio, please, as my first dying wish, go see her." Annabelle was now on her own way to crying. She hated to see her brother suffer like this. Dio didn't respond to her.

"Secondly, don't die too soon. Don't die an idiot's death, alright? No stepping in bear traps or catching viruses." She laughed, but it was soon interrupted by an impending urge to vomit. She ran to the nearest bush and poored what little food her stomach held out. She leaned onto the bush weakly. She had to convince her brother fast, for she knew that she wasn't going to survive tonight. She had to force herself to even speak.

"You should rest." Her brother took a hold of her and guided her next to the small body of water.

"Not until you promise."

"Fine."

"Not fine. I want you to look me in the eye and promise me you will do those two things." Annabelle looked into her brother's eyes.

Dio let out a shaky breath; he knew he was going to have to give in, "I promise you, Anna, that I will not die an idiot's death, and I will visit the dark haired angel who once saved your life."

Annabelle smiled and hugged her brother one last time, "Thankyou so much, Dio, for everything you've ever done for me." Now, both siblings were crying slightly.

"I'm going to miss you so much, Anna." Dio hugged his sick sister, letting his held back tears flow freely. He didn't care if he got sick or not. He always had a strong immune system.

"I'm going to miss you too, Dio. I'll be watching you from heaven." She sobbbed. The pair cried and cried for hours before falling asleep in eachother's arms.

In the morning, Dio noticed she wasn't breathing anymore.


	4. A Twist of Fate

He cried for weeks at her headstone. The townspeople buried her in the graveyard of the orphans the day of her death. He was grateful for such kind people. Still, he couldn't stop his tears.

He considered suicide, an easy way to be with his sister again, but then he would break his promise. He still couldn't deal with the pain of losing her though. He thought he was strong, but it was his sister that made him that way. Now, he had nothing to live for. He was just another orphan on the streets. He pulled out the handkerchief he was given so long ago, and wiped away his tears. He looked at the hand embroidered cloth, and a look of determination crossed his face.

Maybe he had someone to live for after all. He stood infront of his sister's headstone with a smile.

"Well, Anna, I suppose it's time I get to work on fufulling that promise. I'm still going to miss you like crazy though. Make sure to watch over me. It's a long way to the stone mansion, and I might have clouded judgement along the way." With a few stray tears finding their way down his cheeks, he turned and was on his way.

-0-

It had been two weeks since he had left the village. His rations were emptied four days ago, and he could feel it working on his system. However, he had a promise to keep. No amount of pain and hunger was going to change that.

He trudged on into the familiar scenery of his childhood village. A few unshed tears found their way to his eyes as he remembered the time he and his sister spent here. He held them back and kept walking. It was nearing sunset, and he needed to find shelter for the night. He settled for a barn. The same barn he and sister used to take refuge in. To top it off, there was a carrot lying in a small bowl.

Dio broke into a soft stream tears. He hated being this weak, but he couldn't help it. It would take a long time to get over it, maybe he never would.  
Eventually, Dio slept. When he woke in the morning, the carrot he was going to eat was gone. Did he imagine it? His stomach growled at the thought, but he willed it quiet. He sneaked out of the property and made his way to the river.

He had to will himself not to collapse as he took a drink. His reflection looked pathetic. He was withering away, and covered in filth. He cleaned himself up a bit, and scowled. He hated the weakling he had become. He angrily splashed the water and walked to the main road of the village. He ignored his aching his stomach and glared at any person who dared look at him. That wasn't the best decision, however.

A few seconds out of the village, he collapsed. No one was around to help, even if they were, he was sure they wouldn't. His vision and hearing faded in and out, but he could could see a carriage stop beside him. A woman stepped out. If he had the energy, he would have screamed. This woman looked like his mother.

"Mother?" He mumbled weakly. The woman seemed shocked, but picked the boy up and set him inside of the carriage.

"No, my name is Maria. Eat this, and sleep for a bit. I'll take you somewhere safe" She smiled, handing him a biscuit. He graciously devoured it.

"Thankyou." He mumbled before falling asleep. Maybe some people were nice after all.


	5. A New Way of Life

"And remember, kid. You're only here on Maria's good graces. If you slip up as an assistant, I won't hesitate to cut out those pretty little eyes, and put them on a doll worth such a color." Alfred laughed and shut the heavy door behind him with a slam, leaving the young boy alone in the dimly lit laboratory.

Said boy was currently uncontrollably shaking in a corner splattered with dried blood.

A few hours ago, he was just a starving orphan, dying on the side of the road. He thought life couldn't be much worse. After all, his friends had all passed from starvation and disease and the one person he had left in life died. He didn't even know his own name that well.

Dio, that's what his close friends and his sister used to call him.

Anyhow, the boy with soft blonde locks was noticed by none other than Maria. The kind hearted assistant pittied him, and brought him to the only place she could think of for him to live, The Drevis Manor.

She had to beg the doctor to not kill him on sight. It was a long, drawn out process, but she managed to save the boy a place as her assistant. Therefore, her property in the manor. Alfred did not fail to leave out the rules of the - as he deemed it, "Unfortunate"- arrangement.

_1. Dio was not to travel outside the lab without the doctor's permission._

_2 . He was not to meet a girl by the name of "Aya" by all means. _

_3. He was not to disrupt anything in the lab, and sit quietly as the doctor's "experiments" were taking place._

If he disobeyed any of these rules, the punishment was a long, torturous death. Most likely by bleeding to death from empty eye sockets. The doctor seemed to have an obsession with his eyes. Dio admitted they were a bit out of the ordinary, but he saw no reason for them to be obsessed over in such a way.

The mere thought brought an icy chill down his spine. It was just his luck to be taken in by an insane man.

It was simple enough, obeying the rules that is, but the boy couldn't fully comprehend it. How would he know who this "Aya" was and what she looked like, and how was he to survive with no sunlight? What kind of work was he to do?

The biggest question, however, was the one that scared him the most: What kind of experiments was he talking about?

He knew the answer already, but didn't want it to be true. Blood covered a single operating table along with several medical supplies Dio never imagined he'd see up close. The stench of death, blood, and decay was poorly hidden by the faint scent of old cleaning supplies.

His heart beat was out of control. Why did Miss Maria have to bring him in? He found himself just fine living on the streets despite near starvation. Now, food was the farthest worry. He was living with a mad man who killed people for a living of all things! To top it off, he'd never fulfill his second promise to his sister.

"Calm down, Dio." He told himself, "You can do this. You're strong. You promised Anna you would live for her."

Despite his brave words, Dio couldn't stop shaking. He sat in the dark room for what seemed to be hours thinking about what would become of him. The door swung open gently. Barely any light came from the hallway, but he could tell it was Maria. Still, he couldn't quit shivering.

"Poor boy." The assistant said softly, but it was loud to Dio's ears which were accustomed to the silence, "The doctor told me you could go outside for a bit. He's trying to find Aya right n-"

"Maria? Are you talking to father?" A soft voice mumbled behind Maria. Dio stopped breathing for that moment. He knew that angelic voice even after all of these years. His angel was here, only mere meters away from him. He forced his weak body to stand and rush to the door.

"No, Aya. I think he's upstairs looking for you. Why don't you go and see?" Maria put herself infront of Dio, blocking Aya's view. A gleeful gasp escaped Aya's lips as she ran upstairs to find her father.

Maria turned to face the confused Dio, "What was that, Dio?" She questioned angrily,"The doctor specifically told you not to encounter Aya. Do you want to be punished?"

"No, Miss Maria, but that girl saved my sister's life once. I owe her so much. If I could just meet her again-"

"NO" Maria snapped, "The doctor does not permit Aya to be around other people. She needs to stay pure. I brought you in so you could live, but you'll die sooner than expected if you go after that girl."

Dio looked down with a saddened look as Maria led him to a secluded outside area.

He told his angel, apparently named "Aya" that he would meet her again, but he also told his beloved sister that he would stay smart and not die an idiots' death and meet his angel again.

He sighed and laid down in the soft grass, pulling out the filthy handkerchief he was given so long ago. He held it up to the sun and thought.

The first step, he knew, was to stay smart and keep himself alive. He would find a way to keep both of promises. Yes, it would take planning beyond his comprehension, but he could do it. And maybe, just maybe, he could get off unscathed.


	6. The Plan

It had been weeks since Dio had come to the manor. Over that amount of time, he had come to terms with the circumstances: He was basically a slave, disposable and would be killed if he messed up, and, perhaps the most shocking revelation he had to deal with, his beloved angel was the daughter of a mad man.

He was shaken by the sheer thought of it at first, but knew that the parent didn't determine the child. His angel was sweet and caring, and if Dio had his way she would stay that way forever. He was both delighted and scared when the doctor spent most of his day in the lab. The less time she spent with him, the better.

Working in the lab was terrifying and heart breaking, but livable. He wasn't able to watch or smell the experiments without vomiting, so Alfred often tossed him into another dark room, which was later deemed as his room. However, the screams of pain and anguish coming from the room across the hall attacked his heart and conscious.

He knew very well that there was nothing he could do to help the innocent people Alfred worked on, but each scream tore away at his soul. It was terrible to think that he was assisting a man who could do such things.

Each time Dio was locked in his room, he prayed that the doctor would not be the one to come get him. Alfred had been after Dio's eyes since the start, and sometimes couldn't contain the urge to attempt to cut them out. Maria had protected him thus far, but each day was a new risk.

Aside from the obvious problems, life wasn't so bad. He was permitted two outings a week at request as long as it was acceptable weather, fed a small amount more than he was in the village, and the time in his room gave him the chance to plan on how to speak with his angel again.

Dio set down chalk rock and nearly dead pen with a satisfied smile. Today was the day he had been waiting for.

It was the first sunny day in the past week according to Maria, and he managed to find out that the doctor would be out for the evening attending a "meeting". He assumed his angel, or "Aya" as they called her, would be outside in the garden where he had first seen her.

He had memorized the doctor's recipe for three hour soluble sleeping powder, and had made a batch with what he could find in the lab. He even managed to find a pocketwatch. He shivered as he thought of where it might have come from.

The rest came down to one thing: Luck

A knock came from the door, "Dio, the worst is over. Come help me clean up the blood. After that we can go outside for a bit." Maria called before stepping back into the laboratory which was conveniently just across the hall.

Dio wiped away his chalk writing with his shirt, hid his papers, and blew out his candle. Despite having to clean the mass amount of blood and guts which was likely covering the stone floor and walls, Dio had to hide his smile.

Finally, he was going to see her again. His sister could be happy in heaven.


	7. We Meet Again, My Sweet Angel

After thirty minutes of useless scrubbing, the lab was as clean as it was ever going to be. Dio had even taken the liberty of bleaching out some of the stains on the floor, but he didn't dare move toward the knives and torture equipment, they had an idiot's death written all over them. Maria took this for kindness and initiative, but Dio simply couldn't stand the sight of blood on the ground, reminding him of what he helped make happen.

"That's good enough. I'm going to get my tea from the kitchen, would you like some, Dio?"

"Yes please, Miss Maria." He smiled. The pieces of his plan were beginning to fall into place.

"You're so polite, Dio, and a hard worker too. Fortune smiled upon us when I stumbled upon you." Maria smiled and glided away to the staircase. Dio often wondered what was up there, but an exploration was a fool's death for sure.

As Maria was away, Dio pulled out his bag of sleeping powder. He followed the recipe to a T, and took special care to triple check that the portion wouldn't kill her; Maria was nice to him despite everything that had happened and treated him as if he were her son. Well, for the most part anyway. She didn't deserve to die.

He mentally ran through everything again. It would be perfectly executed if Aya was where he expected her to be. If not, he had three hours of Maria's nap time, and could hopefully find her. He let out a shaky breath. He was nervous about meeting his gorgeous angel after so long. What would she think of him now? Would she remember him at all?

Maria's clanking footsteps interrupted his worries. She was holding a silver platter full of biscuits and other snacks with two steaming cups of tea accompanied by the matching pot.

"We can go outside now, Dio. You know the way." She smiled excitedly, as she never got to see the sun much either. Dio nodded and made his way to the hidden door at the end of the hallway. As he stepped through he "accidentally" stumbled backward onto Maria.

"Dio, are you okay?" She asked, so distracted that she didn't notice the powder he poored into the teapot and both cups.

"I'm fine, Miss Maria, just a small stumble. I've not been exercising my legs much these past few weeks." Dio laughed and correctly walked through the doorway. The sunlight felt like heaven on his skin, and the cool breeze rustled through his tousled hair. A sigh of relief escaped both he and Maria's lips.

"Okay, let's have some tea, and then do whatever we want. I kinda want to climb that tree for once." She laughed and handed Dio his cup as she held her own. "Cheers." and down the tea went. Dio carefully faked his sip and smiled. The powder would take effect in a few minutes.

"Scone?" Maria yawned, "I don't why I'm so tired all of a sudden. I swear I slept my six hours."

Dio accepted his biscuit and gladly nibbled on it, "You should take a nap, Miss Maria. I'll be here when you wake up, promise."

"I know you will, Dio. You're such a good boy." Maria laid down and snuggled into the soft grass, "Maybe I'll snooze for a little bit. It's not like the doctor's here anyway."

"Sweet dreams, Miss Maria." Dio said softly. He waited until he could hear her slight snoring to stand and walk to the fence. Aya should be on the other side of the mansion in the garden with Snowball. He smiled as he hopped the fence, remembering chasing his sister into the very same garden he was headed to.

Despite having so much time to take, Dio rushed to his destination area. This was the one part of the plan he wasn't sure about. His angel never gave him many clues as to where she may be when he came back. Then again, she probably wasn't expecting to come back as a assistant to her father's assistant; more like a slave if you asked the boy himself.

A soft hum broke through his meaningless thoughts. It was a familiar tune. He had heard it once, but where?

"Oh, Snowball. You're all better! Father truly does make miracles happen, huh?" A sweet voice, the voice of his angel, giggled. He slowly peered around the corner. There she was, his beloved Aya.

"Do you ever think that boy will come back, Snowball? He did promise me atleast once in a blue moon. I just wish I knew how long a blue moon took. It's been almost three years." Aya plopped back in the grass with a sigh. Her beloved rabbit, Snowball, twitched his nose and nuzzled her face as if to comfort her.

"Thanks, Snowball. Even if father and Maria never want to play with me, I still have you, right?" The rabbit hopped onto the girl's lap in agreement.

Dio chuckled at the sight. She was even cuter than he had remembered, and still the most innocent thing.

"W-Who's there?" She jumped up. Dio felt a twinge of guilt for making her worry. He stepped out in the open to where she could see him.

"It's been too long, sweet angel." He smiled at her. A gasp of both shock and delight escaped her lips as she ran to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"It's you!" Aya cried tears of joy, "You really came back!"

Dio immersed the small girl in his arms, "I promised you, didn't I?" He breathed in her scent and everything about her. She was just the same as when he left her, adorable and radiant.

"I thought you forgot about your promise."

"I never forget a promise, especially not to an angel like you." Dio pulled away to look at the girl he had unconciously fallen in love with.

Her face twinged pink, "I'm not an angel. Call me by name name, Aya."

"You're definatley an angel, Aya. You save lives." He couldn't stop smiling at the girl.

"T-That was a one time thing. I haven't even met anyone else since our encounter. By the way, where is your sister? Did my handy-work do well?"

Dio felt his smile drop for the first time since he saw her, "You did a great job on her leg. She loved the scars it gave her, but she's not here." Aya frowned in thought.

"Where is she then?" She regretted the question as she saw his eye's brim with fresh tears.

"Sh-She's," Dio took in a shaky breath, "in heaven right now. She caught the flu virus a few months ago, and died a week after."

Aya's frown increased into tears. She suffocated him with a hug and attempted to utter words that would allow her to comfort him, but her sobs refused to conform to her wishes.

Dio smiled sadly and held the girl as she cried, "Hey now, I told you not to cry over us." He whispered softly, but he couldn't stop his own tears from falling. He hadn't wanted to cause his angel tears because of his problems, but it still hurt knowing his sister was no longer here.

Time seemed to stop as they held eachother. Finally, Dio pulled away from the girl, and pulled out the handkerchief she had given him so many years ago. He looked down at her. Tears were still streaming down her face and her eyes were becoming red. Dio grimaced. He hated seeing her cry. She was too kind hearted and wonderful for tears the world's problems could cause her. Perhaps that was why her psycho father kept her locked up on the property.

"It's okay, Aya. She's watching over us still, yelling at me when I do something stupid." He smiled as he wiped away her tears with the hand sewn object, "No more tears, okay?"

Aya's sobs slowly began to cease as she tenderly wiped his tears away, "Only if you promise to do the same."

Dio nodded and smiled at the sweet girl infront of him. His heart beat was out of control as she smiled back. Snowball intruded on the young not-yet-a-couple's moment by hopping into Aya'a arms.

"Oh! Snowball, did you feel lonely?" She laughed. Dio took the time to check the pocketwatch. He still had two hours until the powder wore out of Maria's system. He sighed in relief; he still had two hours to be with the girl of his dreams.


	8. Flower Crowns and Surprises

"So, angel, what do you want to do now?"

Aya blushed at him calling her angel once again. She had a feeling she should get used to it as it seemed he wouldn't stop it, "Well, the three of us can make flower crowns! Well, Snowball can eat the left over flowers."

"Flower crowns? How do you make them?" Dio said, slightly embarrassed as he followed her to a flower filled area.

"I'll teach you! It's super simple once you practice. Fist we need to pick the flowers." She giggled warmly. That giggle made Dio feel like he could melt where he stood. They began picking flowers of various sizes, shapes, and colors. Dio watched her carefully out of the corner of his eye.

Aya caused him feeling he didn't quite understand. Each time he saw her, it was like he was hit by a magic spell, causing him to be invincible, but she also made him feel nervous. Was this what adults called "love"? He would ask Miss Maria later, he decided.

Soon, the flowers were piled up and ready to be crafted into crowns. Both adolescents sat down across from eachother. Aya picked up two flowers, beckoning Dio to do the same. She poked her well trimmed fingernail into the stem of the flower and strung the stem of the next flower into the hole.

"Now, you try." She giggled as Dio struggled with making the hole, but emerged victorious soon enough.

"Now what?" Dio grinned. Aya was so cute when she was happy.

"That's it. Just do that until you have the circumference of your head made, and then tie it. After that, keep adding more flowers. Remember variety in color and shapes, it makes them prettier."

Dio nodded, "How about I make one for you instead? I still owe you a lot."

Aya was shocked as a bright pink hue spread on her face, "O-Okay, I'll make one for you then."

They sat there for what seemed to be hours laughing and crafting their crowns. They talked about anything that came to mind and soon enough, the crowns were done.

Aya's, who had experience beyond his knowledge, was beautiful and had a color scheme which would compliment the blonde boy's hair and eyes. Dio's ,on the other hand, was vibrant but less full, but he still knew it would make her look beautiful, or rather, she would make it look beautiful.

"There," Aya set her crown on the boy's head, "all done." She laughed in pure delight. She hadn't had this much fun since her mother was alive.

Dio set his surprisingly well made crown on her head, "Beautiful." He smiled.

"You did do a nice job for a first timer." She complimented.

"Who said I was talking about the crown? You're beautiful on your own, angel." Dio blushed as he told her his thoughts. Aya's face grew an even darker shade of pink at his comment. He was so nice to her. She really liked it when he was around. He made her feel warm and cozy inside, yet she felt a tad bit nervous.

Dio checked his pocket watch again. He had thirty minutes left with his angel. He smiled even more if it was possible. Everything in this moment was perfect.

That was, until, he heard Alfred's low chuckle behind him. He was coated in blood, both dried and fresh. The familiar scent brought Dio back to the reality that he had been living with a psycho man who wanted a reason to kill him. And Dio had given it to him.

"I told you not to meet Aya." He growled, "You know what this means, don't you?"

In an instant, Dio was turned around and on his feet, shielding Aya as if she was the one who would be attacked. He let out a deep growl of his own.

"F-Father, wh-what are you doing?" Aya stuttered. She had never seen her father act this way before.

"Your little friend has broken the rules, Aya." He laughed, "Now I get to kill him!" He pulled out a cloth and dodged around Dio to his daughter, pressing the cloth to her face, "Now go to sleep, Aya." Her body went limp as she fell back onto the ground.

Dio turned around quickly and tried to kick the man, but Alfred caught it.

"Now to take care of you." He seethed and laughed at the same time. He grabbed Dio and threw him over his shoulder. Dio tried everything to escape: kicking, biting, hitting, struggling, and so much more, but nothing worked.

His eyes widened as he was carried away from the unconscious Aya. He could practically see his death, and nothing he tried to do could stop it.


	9. The Death of a Determined Boy

Alfred angrily kicked open the laboratory door. It wasn't clean anymore, Dio noticed. A carcass of another poor victim was lying in the same corner which he cleaned. He shivered and fought harder. Soon, that would be him.

"So, you thought you could just make my daughter impure and get away with it?" Alfred strapped Dio to the table despite his struggles, "Well look how that paid off!"

The doctor took a scoop from the torture table, as Dio had named it, "Now, you little bastard, let us get to work." Dio shut his eyes in horror. He was going to die here.

"Don't close your eyes, Dio. You brought this upon yourself!" Alfred stabbed a scalpel deep into Dio's leg, jerking and moving it around fiercely. Dio screamed in pain; his eyes shot open.

Alfred wasted no time attacking his eye with the scoop, angrily tearing at the tender flesh surrounding it, "How does it feel, Dio? Am I being to nice?" He laughed.

Dio screams echoed throughout the entire lower floor. He couldn't even feel this throat anymore, but he kept at it. The pain was too much to bear. Alfred's psychotic laugh was still audible through everything. Dio's eye popped out of socket, blood poored everywhere around him, and Alfred laughed pleasingly.

He ripped the scalpel out of Dio's leg and slowly picked at the vein still keeping it attached to him, "Are you still happy you tried to filthy my daughter?" Dio almost fainted, but willed himself to stay conscious. He wasn't going to give the sick bastard the satisfaction.

The doctor took the eye and set it on his table. "Still awake, are we? I'll let you keep that eye so you can watch me destroy the rest of you!"

He picked up a few of his scalpels, stabbing and ripping at Dio's flesh. Dio's screams returned. Blood soaked his entire being. He felt cold, very cold. He coughed up blood, whether from his raw throat or from his other injuries remained unknown to him. Alfred's laugh never stopped.

Dio's hearing faded along with his ability to feel. He failed his sister, dying an idiot's death. Still, he knew Aya was worth it. His sister couldn't be mad at him for falling in love. A smile found its way to his cold lips as Alfred took the final cut to his neck.

His world faded to black with the image of his beloved angel and his dear sister in his head.


	10. The Note and The Deception

Alfred kept cutting long after Dio had died. The excitement was getting to his head. The door flew open, revealing a panting Maria.

"Doctor, Dio, he" She huffed as her eyes slowly drifted to the doctor's victim. She let out a high-pitched scream at the sight of a bloody and dead Dio. Alfred smirked.

"Maria, clean this mess up." He walked passed her, "And be a dear and put him back in his room. I want to keep a memento of this day."

With that, he walked out to find a change of clothes. Someone had to convince Aya he was just a dream after all.

Maria dropped to her knees as tears flooded her eyes. She finally had a son, and he got himself killed. She sobbed for a few minutes before getting to work. The last thing she needed was the doctor thinking she wasn't working.

She unstrapped the destroyed body and brought it to Dio's room as requested. She rested it on the bed, still sobbing slightly, when she noticed a scrap of paper jutting from under the stiff mattress. She pulled it out and gasped. Everything Dio thought of was on the paper, but as she scanned it, two specific things caught her eye.

_Maria reminds me alot of mother, she doesn't deserve to die. MAKE SURE THAT THE PORTION WON'T KILL HER!_

_Angel, or Aya as they call her, should be at the garden where we first met. TELL HER ABOUT THAT WARM FEELING YOU GET WHEN SHE'S AROUND. SHE NEEDS TO KNOW._

More tears streamed down her pale face. Dio thought of her as a mother? He was in love with Aya? She looked at the now dead boy. He died because he fell in love with the doctor's daughter. If only she had listened more when he talked about her. Maybe she could have saved her son like figure if she had just payed closer attention.

She continued reading until she reached the end.

_I may die today. If I do, I hope I got to talk to her. Miss Maria, if you find this before the doctor, thankyou for your support and care. If it wasn't for you, I would have never been able to meet the angel who saved my sister, whom I shall now be joining, once more. You have been a wonderful person to me. If you see my angel, or Aya as you call her, please tell her that you saw me leave peacefully. I don't want her to be sad over my death. Her tears break my heart. You as well, Miss Maria, do not cry when you see me dead. I had a pleasant time with you these past few weeks. Maybe one day you'll actually climb that tree. This goodbye note is dragging on, sorry. Hopefully, I'll be reading this later before hiding it. Sadly, I have a feeling that might not happen._  
_Goodbye Miss Maria (and my angel too)_  
_Love, Dio_

Maria let out a desperate cry at the heavens before collapsing into tears beside the body of the dead Dio. He had such a kind heart, and he died because of that heart and the love it held. She sobbed. She felt this was a warning to her.

The doctor would eventually get worse and do this to herself and his daughter. She shook the thought out of her head and continued her job slowly, her tears mixing with the water she used to scrub the blood away. She wasn't going to let this happen to Aya. The boy who was like a son to her wouldn't like that at all up in heaven.

-0-

Elsewhere in the Drevis Manor, a now clean Alfred was placing the sleeping Aya in her bed, covering her up and placing Snowball into his own bed. Carefully, he moved out of her room and waited to her wake up.

In a few seconds, she did just that. She began screaming at the top of her lungs. Alfred put on his false worried expression and rushed in.

"Aya, dear, what's wrong. Did you have a nightmare?" He knelt by her bed and patted her head lovingly. Aya's teary eyes softened.

"A nightmare. That must've been it. Father would never hurt people." She smiled. Alfred hugged his daughter and smiled a demonic smile..

"Ofcourse I wouldn't, dear. Why would you ever think that?"

-0-

**AND SO IT ENDS! Yeah, this is kinda drabbly and whatnot, but I'm proud of it. It's the first time I almost cried while writing. Sorry to anyone who didn't like it. My fingers couldn't stop themselves. Before I knew it, I was nearly crying and writing death scenes.**


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